Valve



Patented Aug. 26, 1941 VALVE Ralph G. Carlson, Chicago,'Ill.,-assignor-to Crane 00., Chicago, lll., a corporation of llllnoisApplication July 1, 1939, serial No. 282,451

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a valve and more particularly to 'a valvehaving a cleanable sediment-collecting pocket.

In the pipeline transportation of fluids, especially crude petroleum,oil and gasoline, there are frequently included in the fluids particlesof 'foreign matter, commonly referred to as sediment,

which have a tendency to settle or precipitate from the fluid andcollect in pockets, crevices and chambers where movement of the fluidmay be relatively slow. 'One of the most prevalent of such pocketswherein sediment deposits occur is within a valve in the pipeline. Smallamounts of sediment deposited within the valve may not necessarily beharmful-to 'thevalv-e or detrimental to the operation of the valve.However, should relatively large quantities of sediment be present inthe fluid and settle Within the valve serious damagemay bedone to thevalve seating surfaces upon-the closing of the valve, or thevalveclosure member may be prevented from reachi'ngits seat or seats byreason of an accumulated mass of sediment becoming packed in the bottomportion of the valve. In such an'event it is often necessary to shutdown the complete pipeline, disassemble or remove the valve, andclean-or repair the internal parts. However, I am aware.

that in the'p'ast others have provided sediment chambers andcleanoutmeanson valves, but to my'knowledge none has proved successful whenpipeline, and no provision was made to circulate the fluid through allchambers of the valve-to keep the fine particles of sediment fromsettling withinthe valve.

Accordingly, one of the more important objects of my invention lies inthe provision of means for diverting a portion of the fluid, while thelatter is passing through the valve, into an enlarged sediment chamberto cause a desired turbulence therein whereby fine and loose sedimentdeposited in the chamber will be washed up and carried out of the valveinto the outlet end pipeline.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a valve having asediment chamber below the closure member and seats thereof and inwardlytoward "a position above the lii'ie or fluid now through the valve.Obviously, sediment washed out of the'cl'iambei' will be carried to aposition immediately above the fluid flowing through the valve and fromthere, either by settling or by beihgfurther carried by the deflectedfluid, the natural course of the sediment is into th'e'fiui'd.strearn'and out of the valve throughth'e outlet port. I

A still further obj act of my invention liesin the provision ofapiuraiity' 'of "rectilinear 'cleahout orts in a valve so thataccumulated sediment may be removed from the inside or the valve, "atany time "the valve 'is ih the emsed position, withouttlie'nec'essity ofdis 'siiibling the valve or removing it from the pipeline. The advantageof providing a'pluralit'y of rectilinear cleanoutiports is that all orthe interior chambers of the valve may readily be'cleane'd byrou'din'g,as it is termed, or, if desired, by other suitable'means. otherimportant objects and advantages or myfinv'ention Willbecoln'e apparentin the following description 'of'a gate valve embodying my invention.Thedescriptiohi's to be r'ead'in connection with the drawing, in whichFig. 1 is a vertical side sectiona viewer the Fig. 2' is a-verticaisectional view or the valve taken'at right angles to Fig. 1.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts;

Referring to Fig. 1, the valve shown, which is known in the art as "arising stein outside screw and yoke gate'valv'acoinpr'ises abodyorfcasihg l to which issecure'tl'a bonnet 2. The bonnet, eitcept ashereinafter described in detail, together with the yoke 3 and theassembled operating parts, including the handwhe'elf l and 'the's'teih.5, are of the usual construction well known to "all those skilled inthe art of valves. The body portion I is formed with a central chamber 6closed by the bonnet 2. Into the chamber 6 lead a pair of the usualopposed and aligned fluid passageways or ports, and in the chamber atthe mouth of each of said passageways there is a threaded recess toreceive a seat ring 8. These seat rings are preferably disposed at anacute angle to each other to receive a wedge type gate or closure member9 formed with annular seating faces adapted to seat upon the seat rings.

The sediment pocket l I], which is the lowermost portion of the chamber6, is formed to provide a relatively large volume directly below thewedge and around the seat rings wherein sediment from the fluid in thepassageway may collect. As

shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the pocket I 9 is provided with a pair ofremovable plugs H placed at opposite sides of the pocket to enable anoperator to clean the pocket with a rod or other instrument simply byremoving both of the plugs, as desired, while the valve is in the closedposition, inserting the cleaning instrument in one of the openings andforcing the accumulated sediment out of the pocket through the otheropening.

The lower portion of the gate 9 is provided with a depending lip 12which, when the gate is in a partly raised position, deflects a portionof the fluid stream downwardly into the pocket. The resultant turbulenceof the fluid within the pocket caused by a portion of the stream beingdeflected thereinto causes the loose and finely divided particles ofsediment within the pocketto be picked up and to be carried with thefluid upwardly around both sides of the seat rings. 8 and into the upperportion of the chamber 6 where, by reason of the relatively large volumeof that portion of the chamber, the fluid is comparatively quiet. Againthe sediment will tend to settle out of the fluid and inasmuch as theflow through the valve is substantially across the respective aperturedseat rings, the sediment will be conveyed down into the main line flowand out of the valve, thus avoiding objectionable interference with theproper operation of the valve.

Should it be desired that a portion of the line flow or that pressureconfined within the chamber 6 be relieved to atmosphere, the bonnet 2,as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, is provided with the inspection orcleanout plugs 13 which may either discharge into atmosphere or else beconnected to discharge pipe lines leading to a suitable container. Thusit is apparent that if a considerable accumulation of sediment hasdeposited within the chamber [0, a cleanout or flushing medium may besuitably connected at the ports 1 upon removal of the plugs II or elseconnected in reverse order to thus create a forced circulation at thelower point of the valve casing and within the chamber I0 and force theaccumulated sediment out, while the valve is in a closed position,around the substantially cylindrical projections l4 within which thebody seatrings 8 are connected. Because the flushing may take place inmy particular construction preferably with the valve disc in the seatedor closed 7 position, it is apparent that the valve line con- Of course,the particular embodiment shown may be changed considerably from theconstruction illustrated and described and still come within the termsof my invention. Therefore, I desire to be limited only to the extent ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A valve comprising a casing having a passageway therethrough, abonnet therefor, a closure'member for the said passageway, the saidclosure member having a lower depending lip portion, the said casingproviding a pocket in the lower portion thereof for the accumulation ofsediment, the said casing providing a chamber in the upper portionthereof in communication with the said pocket, the said bonnet havingnormally closed openings therefrom, the said casing having normallyclosed opposed openings level with the floor of the said pocket to forma substantially unbroken passage between said opposed openings, wherebyupon the valve being closed and piped connections being made at saidnormally closed openings of the said bonnet, sediment within the saidpocket may be forcibly rodded therefrom, and whereby upon the valvebeing partially opened, the lip portion of said closure member serves todivert a portion of the pipeline fluid into the said pocket to displacesediment therefrom into the said upper chamber to complete a cycle ofcirculation between the respective openings of the said bonnet and thesaid casing,

2. A valve comprising a casing having a passageway therethrough, aclosure member for the said passageway, annularly formed seats for thesaid closure member, the said casing providing a pocket in the lowerportion thereof for the accumulation of sediment, the said casingproviding a chamber in the upper portion thereof for p the reception ofthe closure member when the said chamber to remove sedimentary depositsfrom the said pocket, the lower edge of the said deflecting meansserving to direct the tool horizontally across the pocket floor uponinsertion of said tool.

RALPH G. CARLSON.

